Climateby Month

Gatlinburg, TN climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 1,290 ft elevation

Summers in Gatlinburg are warm and oppressively humid; winters are chilly. Highs peak at 83°F in July and fall to 47°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 10 to 15 a month. Normal snowfall is about 7.7 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is April and October.

Warmest month
83°F
July normal high
Coldest month
27°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
163
58.2 in of precipitation
Snow a year
7.7 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Gatlinburg?

Normal highs range from 47°F in January to 83°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 47°F (8°C), low 27°F (-3°C) 47° 27° February: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 29°F (-2°C) March: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 35°F (2°C) April: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 42°F (6°C) May: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 51°F (11°C) June: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 59°F (15°C) July: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 63°F (17°C) 83° 63° August: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 62°F (17°C) September: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 56°F (13°C) October: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 44°F (7°C) November: normal high 58°F (14°C), low 34°F (1°C) December: normal high 50°F (10°C), low 29°F (-2°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Gatlinburg?

July has the most wet days (about 15); the year brings about 58 in of precipitation.

January: 15 wet days February: 14 wet days March: 15 wet days April: 13 wet days May: 15 wet days June: 15 wet days July: 15 wet days 15 August: 14 wet days September: 11 wet days October: 10 wet days 10 November: 12 wet days December: 15 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 7.7 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 2.4 in of snow 2.4 February: 2.4 in of snow March: 1.3 in of snow April: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 May: 0.0 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.0 in of snow November: 0.2 in of snow December: 1.4 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Gatlinburg?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 25 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 4 muggy days June: 16 muggy days July: 25 muggy days 25 August: 23 muggy days September: 9 muggy days October: 1 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Mc Ghee Tyson Airport, 28 mi WNW of the city center (the nearest airport with complete hourly records).

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.

January: 10.1 hours of daylight February: 10.9 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.1 hours of daylight May: 14.1 hours of daylight June: 14.5 hours of daylight 14.5 July: 14.3 hours of daylight August: 13.5 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.3 hours of daylight November: 10.3 hours of daylight December: 9.8 hours of daylight 9.8 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Gatlinburg, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 47°F27°F 4.8 in15 2.4 in 0 10.1 h
February 51°F29°F 4.3 in14 2.4 in 0 10.9 h
March 59°F35°F 5.6 in15 1.3 in 0 12.0 h
April 69°F42°F 4.9 in13 0.0 in 0 13.1 h
May 75°F51°F 5.5 in15 0.0 in 4 14.1 h
June 80°F59°F 6.0 in15 0.0 in 16 14.5 h
July 83°F63°F 6.3 in15 0.0 in 25 14.3 h
August 82°F62°F 4.4 in14 0.0 in 23 13.5 h
September 78°F56°F 4.3 in11 0.0 in 9 12.4 h
October 69°F44°F 3.2 in10 0.0 in 1 11.3 h
November 58°F34°F 4.0 in12 0.2 in 0 10.3 h
December 50°F29°F 4.9 in15 1.4 in 0 9.8 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Gatlinburg

By our comfort score, the best months are April and October.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 393109
Feb 445105
Mar 5913102
Apr 691690
May 6512100
Jun 544112
Jul 481114
Aug 48194
Sep 57871
Oct 681860
Nov 551082
Dec 404106

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Gatlinburg

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 17, and the first fall frost around Oct 25, leaving 189 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Gatlinburg
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 17after May 2
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 25before Oct 12
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 2after Apr 21
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 4before Oct 22
Frost-free season189 daysunder 167 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Gatlinburg 2 Sw (USC00403420), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Tennessee.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 103°F (July 1, 2012); the lowest was -10°F (February 6, 1996, and 1 other day).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Gatlinburg

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth and frost dates: Gatlinburg 2 Sw (USC00403420), 2.4 mi SW of the city center, 1,454 ft (164 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour: Knoxville Mcghee Tyson Airport (USW00013891), 28 mi WNW of the city center, 962 ft (328 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Cloud cover: Asheville Rgnl Airport (USW00003812), 58 mi ESE of the city center, 2,117 ft (827 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Mc Ghee Tyson Airport (723260-13891), 28 mi WNW of the city center, 970 ft (320 ft lower than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error